Caffeine is one of the most common ingredients in today’s best-selling workout supplements. It is an excellent ergogenic aid for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Its stimulating impact on the central nervous system alleviates the sensation of fatigue, work effort perception, and even pain. Caffeine also enhances mental acuity, and focus during and after an intense workout.
Caffeine is a naturally derived stimulant that can be found in a variety of foods and beverages, including coffee, tea, cacao, guarana, energy drinks, and supplements. Supplementing with caffeine is useful for high-intensity exercises, such as team sports that include intermittent activity over a long period.
Caffeine supplementation has been demonstrated to improve multiple aspects of exercise performance. It boosted speed, peak power, and mean power in trained cyclists, according to a study. Although the magnitude of caffeine’s effects varies between individuals, aerobic endurance appears to be the type of exercise with the most consistent moderate-to-large advantages from caffeine consumption.
Caffeine improves athletic performance in trained athletes once consumed in low-to-moderate doses (3-6 mg/kg). When taken anhydrously, it has a stronger ergogenic effect than coffee. Caffeine has been demonstrated to improve vigilance during periods of prolonged exhaustion, as well as periods of prolonged sleep deprivation. It has also been shown to be highly effective for time-trial performance and is ergogenic for sustained maximal endurance exercise. Caffeine intake of 3–9 mg per kilogram 30–90 minutes before exercise has been shown in studies to reduce carbohydrate utilization during exercise and so improve endurance exercise capacity.
Caffeine supplements are typically taken 60 minutes before a workout session. Its consumption should be timed based on the caffeine source. Caffeine in pill form or a carbohydrate beverage appears to be the most effective, as substances in coffee may reduce caffeine’s overall effects.